Feathers and Flesh
by Sephiran Lehran
Summary: After meeting Fleur at the World Cup and going to live with his exonerated godfather Harry already knows that his Fourth Year will be an eventful one. But he can't predict how much these two seemingly small events will influence him. Will he be able to have a somewhat normal year for once or will the luck that seems to follow him around strike yet again?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello one and all. For those of you who read or have read my other stories yes I am starting a new one. No I haven't abandoned the others but a Harry/Fleur story has been in my mind for some time now. This story will most likely be updated quite slowly at least until one of my other stories is completely finished but I do have plans to finish it. It will be the first in four or possibly five stories about Harry and Fleur, beginning in Harry's fourth year and going at least to his seventh year, possibly beyond depending on how my inspiration strikes me. For now it's rated T but eventually will be moved up to M. So without further ado I present to you _Feathers and Flesh._**

* * *

Intro (End of the Road)

Harry Potter sat in his bed at the Burrow, fully clothed and waiting for the sun to come up. He had been awake for nearly a half hour but had just finished preparing for the day a few minutes prior. Though he was excited for the upcoming final match in the Quidditch World Cup it wasn't what roused him from his sleep. The teen had a dream with Peter Pettigrew and a man he didn't know talking with who could only be Lord Voldemort before killing an innocent and defenseless Muggle. The dream greatly troubled the Boy-Who-Lived but there was little he could do about it besides tell Professor Dumbledore. A sudden knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and before he could utter so much as a single syllable, it swung open revealing his best friend Hermione Granger.

"Ha-oh." The bushy-haired brunette clearly hadn't expected him to be awake yet. "Er, how long have you been up?"

"About a half hour."

"Oh, well Mr. Weasley wants to leave soon. Are you alright?" She could tell just by looking at him that something was troubling him.

"Not really but I'll tell you about it later. We don't have time right now. Have you had breakfast yet?" Hermione shook her head. "Go eat and I'll wake Ron." The girl agreed and walked out of the room, leaving Harry to rouse their sleeping friend from his slumber. "Oi Ron, it's time to wake up mate," Harry yelled across the room, climbing out of his bed as he did so. His words had little effect on the redhead.

"Just five more minutes Harry."

"Your dad wants to leave soon." Ron's response this time was to simply roll over, not even bothering to answer. "Krum's gonna be there." The mention of Viktor Krum was apparently the magic word; Ron shot up and was ready to leave in fifteen minutes, his clothes haphazardly thrown into his bag. Harry chuckled at his friend as the redhead walked out of the room and followed with his own bag slung over his shoulder. They walked into the kitchen to find breakfast waiting for them and both began eating. "Morning Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley," Harry was polite enough to say. The elder Weasleys paused long enough to return the greeting, Mrs. Weasley sparing her son a glare before returning to her cooking.

"So when are we leaving Dad?" Ron asked between bites. Hermione scowled at him, causing Harry to smirk.

"As soon as we can m'boy," Mr. Weasley responded. "We're meeting up with Amos and Cedric Diggory and then taking a Portkey to the Tournament."

"What's a Portkey?" Harry asked.

"Magical transportation device. It can be rough if you've never used one before. Word to the wise: act like you never stopped walking." Harry gave the older Wizard a quizzical look. "When the time comes you'll know." Harry shrugged and nodded, deterred from asking further questions by the arrival of Ginny and the twins. Bill and Charlie soon followed and less than a half hour later they were on their way, the sky still a pinkish hue as the sun rose. The group had only been walking for about ten minutes when they were greeted by the Diggorys.

"Good morning Amos," Arthur said, shaking the man's hand.

"Ah morning Arthur. You're earlier than I expected. The Portkey's right over that hill but we should still have plenty of time." Mr. Weasley nodded and the two men began talking about the recent changes in the Ministry. Harry and the twins meanwhile were talking with Cedric. Harry didn't know the seventh year very well but they were both Seekers and got along quite well.

"Hoping to get some tips on playing Seeker Harry?" Cedric queried, a grin on his face. The twins guffawed at the question.

"I think you're the one who needs them mate," Harry responded without pause. "If I recall I was the one who almost had the Snitch before those damn Dementors came onto the pitch." The mood sobered for just a minute until Harry chuckled, immediately easing the tension.

"I think it's about time we got going," Mr. Diggory suddenly called. "Arthur why don't you take the lead."

"Yes follow me everyone," Mr. Weasley responded, walking in the indicated direction. Mr. Diggory stepped to the side, allowing the youngsters to pass. Harry was the last one to walk by him.

"Harry Potter!" the older man exclaimed as he grasped Harry's hand. "A pleasure to meet you lad."

"A pleasure to meet you too sir," Harry replied as Mr. Diggory clapped him on the back with a warm chuckle. The two talked as they walked behind the others and Harry found that, while he was somewhat overbearing, he liked the elder Diggory just as much as he did Cedric.

"It's just up there!" Mr. Diggory suddenly called out as Ginny started running up the hill. Harry too quickened his pace, anxious to see what a Portkey was. The disappointment was visible on his face when all he saw was an old boot.

"Er, what's that?" he asked aloud.

"That's our Portkey mate," Fred responded. Harry looked at him in surprise.

"Okay so what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Touch it." This time it was George who answered.

"Touch it?" Harry had a look of disbelief on his face, causing the twins to smirk.

"Touch it." Harry reached out and put a finger on the boot, noticing the others doing the same thing. It made him feel better knowing this wasn't a prank by the twins.

"Everyone ready?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Right then, here we go in three...two...one." Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and suddenly the ground disappeared. The world was rapidly spinning around him and Harry was trying his best to keep his eyes pointed in front of him. "Alright kids, let go!"

"What?" Before anyone could answer Hermione's incredulous question she flew backwards and was flailing through the air almost comically. Harry felt himself pulled away from the Portkey as well and immediately was reminded of falling from his broom the previous year. Remembering Mr. Weasley's earlier words, Harry started moving his legs and found himself upright and falling much slower. The ground suddenly appeared and while everyone else slammed into the earth, Harry continued his comfortably slow decent. He landed just before Bill, Charlie, Mr. Weasley, and the Diggorys.

"Why didn't you land on your arse?" Ron asked, taking the hand Harry offered him.

"Act like you never stopped walking," Harry responded, repeating Mr. Weasley's words as he helped the redhead to his feet. The group moved off to find their campsite, Cedric and Mr. Diggory soon breaking off to go their own way, amazed at the festivities around them. It seemed that everyone had come out to watch the finals of the Quidditch World Cup and with the varying cultures came many strange, exotic, and wonderful things for the teens. They had no time to explore at the moment however as they tried not to get lost following Mr. Weasley.

It took nearly twenty minutes for them to find their designated area and another ten to set up the tents (they were doing it all without magic). With the tents set up, Harry was sent to fetch water with Hermione and Ron while the rest set up everything else. He saw a few of his classmates and even his former Quidditch captain Oliver Wood but the trip was otherwise uneventful. His return to the tent saw Mr. Weasley comically struggling to light a fight with matches; Hermione immediately took pity on the man and showed him what to do. Realizing that there was nothing else for him to do at the moment, Harry went into the tent, pulled out his sleeping bag, and fell asleep in a matter of minutes.

* * *

Harry awoke several hours later, all the exhaustion seemingly having vanished from his body. He lay in his sleeping bag for several minutes contemplating his dream earlier while he had a moment of privacy. It had only been a dream but it felt too realistic to ignore. There was something about it that made the teen believe there was at least some possibility that it had actually happened and he knew he needed to tell Professor Dumbledore as soon as he could. Today was no good of course, he didn't even have access to Hedwig, but he would definitely let the older man know when he returned to the Burrow. The sudden sound of voices broke the teen out of his thoughts. One was the unmistakable voice of Mr. Weasley and the other was a voice that Harry had only heard a few times but that he would recognize almost anywhere. Without pause he struggled out of his sleeping bag and bounded into the kitchen.

"I've been working on it the past few weeks. It's almost finished now."

"So how much longer will it be before it's ready?"

"Oh it's ready now Arthur it's just not quite finished. There's not much left to do really."

"Sirius!" Sirius Black was cut off by Harry's cry of surprise and the teen rushed up his godfather, nearly knocking the older man over with the hug he gave him.

"Hey kid," Sirius responded hugging Harry back. After the events of just a few months ago Dumbledore had shown Minister Fudge the memories of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, which had been enough to cast doubt on Sirius' guilt. The Minister had grudgingly released a statement just a few days later announcing that Sirius would be given a fair trial if he would turn himself in. Sirius came to the Ministry the same day the announcement was made and, under the influence of Veritaserum, relayed everything that had led up to the Potters' deaths and his arrest. Less than twenty-four hours later, Sirius Black was named a free man. He and Harry had written to each other every day since then but Sirius hadn't told the teen when they would see each other again or where he was staying.

"Why didn't you tell me you were gonna be here?" Harry asked as he pulled away.

"And ruin the surprise? You should know better than that."

"Well where are you staying now?"

"I'm living in my ancestral home, the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black." Sirius said the last part with unhidden contempt. "I can't tell you exactly where it is right now, for reasons I'll explain later, but I thought I'd take you after we leave here. You can stay as long as you want."

"So you mean I can live with you?" Harry clarified. "I never have to go back to the Dursleys?"

"Yes Dumbledore agreed that now that I'm free it's the best place for you." The wide smile that had engulfed Harry's face faltered when Ron and Hermione walked into the tent.

"What about Ron and Hermione?"

"They'd be welcome to come over whenever they want of course. Remus is also living with me if that makes any difference." Harry's smile returned and he wasted no time in sharing the news with his two best friends. The rest of the day flew by for the teen as he spent some much needed time with his godfather and the Weasleys. Before anyone realized, it was time for them to leave for the match. Somewhere in the back of his mind Harry knew that something was bound to happen before they reached their seats and sure enough as they were walking up the stairs he heard the voice of Draco Malfoy, the bane of his existence.

"If it isn't Potty and the Weasel. How did someone like you afford tickets to this game?"

"Shove off Malfoy," Ron spat, his ears scarlet at the insult. Malfoy just smirked.

"I'm in the Minister's box of course. Father pays for nothing but the best."

"It's a shame your father can't buy your victories when you play at Hogwarts," Hermione quipped, instantly silencing the blonde.

"Shut up you filthy Mudblood!" The insult caught the attention of many surrounding them, including a beautiful older girl with hair that was almost silver. Harry didn't notice any of them however, his attention being solely focused on Malfoy.

"Be careful what you say Draco," he warned. "There's no one to protect you here and none of us like when you call Hermione that." Indeed the look on Ron's face was murderous and the twins' eyes had lost their usual mirth. Even Sirius, who was talking to Mr. Weasley and not following the exchange, seemed to look angry. Realizing his current position and deciding it would be better to bow out, Malfoy sneered at Harry.

"You should enjoy the match while you can Potter," he said before turning and walking off. Harry watched him go and noticed the girl for the first time when Malfoy nearly bumped into her. She rolled her eyes at the arrogant boy and turned back to talk to a man who was no doubt her father. Harry regarded her for a second, captivated by her beauty, before realizing that he probably would never see her again and moved on with the Weasleys, Hermione, and Sirius.

Arriving at their seats caused everyone, including the two oldest Wizards, to gasp in amazement. They were high enough to see everything but not so high that the players were all dots flying around. The ten of them settled down and continued to talk amongst themselves as they waited. Finally the match was announced and the teams flew out onto the field. The Bulgarians were the first, being accompanied by women whose beauty took Harry's breath away. He wanted desperately to impress these women and suddenly thought that jumping out of the skybox would accomplish that.

"Why though?" a voice in the back of his mind said. "That's a stupid thing to do really." The voice sounded suspiciously like Hermione and grew stronger with every word, causing Harry to pause as he rose from his chair. "What's the point of jumping to your death? Do you really think that'll impress anyone? Why don't you sit back down." Heeding the voice's advice, Harry dropped into his seat and looked at Ron and the twins, who were all trying various ways to impress the women, with sympathy. He heard Sirius clear his throat and the teen looked at his godfather, who gave him a questioning look; Harry's response was to simply shrug his shoulders, unsure how he was able to resist the effects that Ron, Fred, and George clearly couldn't.

After the Irish and their mascots, leprechauns this time, took to the field the long anticipated match finally began. Harry nearly shouted himself hoarse at the excitement and was saved from losing his voice completely when Viktor Krum of the Bulgarian team captured the Snitch. While it was a spectacular catch it wasn't enough to earn them the win and Ireland walked away with the cup. As anyone could have predicted Ron nearly fainted when Krum and the other Bulgarians walked by the skybox they were in to present Ireland with the trophy.

The trip back to their tent didn't seem as long and they all, including Hermione, spent the rest of the night discussing the match. They were just beginning to grow tired when screaming could suddenly be heard in the distance. No one paid much attention at first, thinking it was someone celebrating too hard, until there was another scream, this one sounding closer. Everyone rushed outside to see people running from a large group of people wearing black robes and masks that was holding a Muggle family suspended in the air and blasting anything and everything out of their way.

"Get out of here," Mr. Weasley ordered his youngest children as Bill and Charlie ran off to help. "Fred, George, you two stay with Ginny."

"Go on Harry," Sirius told his godson in a firm voice. "If we don't find you later then meet us back here at the tent." Harry nodded and Sirius and Mr. Weasley followed Bill and Charlie. Harry, Ron, and Hermione fled, doing their best to stick with Ginny and the twins but it proved to be impossible with the massive amount of other people running. They managed to stay together for a while longer before Harry was knocked to the ground and Ron and Hermione were swept away with the crowd.

Harry heard Hermione's cry of panic but he was powerless to do anything except roll away from the throng of people and push himself back to his feet. He looked around and noticed that there were suddenly fewer people around, which would have been a positive were it not for the fact that the masked men were growing closer. Without thinking he sped off towards the woods, hoping that if anyone pursued him he would be able to lose them in the trees. On and on Harry ran, his legs beginning to scream at him in agony but he didn't slow down until the screams and voices of panic could barely be heard. Ahead of him he noticed an opening in the trees and decided to head that way, thinking that it might be easier for Sirius or someone to find him once everything was over. Walking into the clearing he noticed the same girl with silvery blonde hair from earlier and was relieved to see what he hoped was a friendly face. That hope was defeated when he found her suddenly pointing her wand at him.

* * *

Fleur Delacour was not having a good night. It had all started with that blonde boy at the Quidditch match who called that poor girl a Mudblood. Though his comment obviously wasn't directed at the French Witch she was still disgusted by him. He had an air of superiority about him and obviously believed anyone who wasn't a pureblood, or at the very least a halfblood, was beneath him. She could only imagine what his reaction would have been if he knew she was part Veela.

The Veela at the Quidditch match were another source of her irritation. It angered her that they would agree to be exploited like they had been, though it pleased her that they didn't end up being the distractions they were obviously meant to be. Ireland winning the cup had bolstered her mood and she was fairly happy for the next few hours; that was instantly brought down when her father told her what was going on. He ordered her to run with everyone else and that he would find her after everything was taken care of. Fleur had fled with the crowd but eventually found herself lost in the woods. She wasn't worried about her father finding her, she knew that he had his ways to do so, but she couldn't help but wonder what might happen if one of the men found her. As a result she was on edge and turned without thinking when she heard someone come up behind her, pointing her wand directly at the unknown person.

Whatever she expected to see, this wasn't it. Standing before her was a young teen with shoulder length black hair and glasses, hastily pulling out his wand to match her. He was a couple inches shorter than her and looked rather thin and wiry but his face showed no hint of fear.

"You can lower your wand," he told her. "I'm not gonna attack you."

"'Ow do I know you are not one of zose men?" Fleur asked, her wand never lower a fraction.

"Well since I'm running from them too and I'm not wearing a mask and black robes I'm pretty sure I'm not." Fleur scoffed and slowly began lowering her wand, though she continued to glare at Harry. The sudden appearance of six unknown men immediately ended the tense situation and the two teens turned and slammed their backs against each other almost on instinct. "You take those three and I'll take these." Fleur rolled her eyes, wondering how long it would be before Harry needed her help and silently fired off her first spell just as Harry yelled, "Expelliarmus!"

The men, who obviously thought this would be an easy victory, were overwhelmed by the teen's tenacious assault. Despite being very inexperienced, Harry used his limited knowledge to force his opponents on the defensive and essentially attack him one at a time, letting him focus his attention on one person. Fleur, who was a champion duelist at Beauxbatons, was able to fight on a more equal footing and had the three men reeling. Unfortunately her partner was the source of a headache for her.

"Do you 'ave to be so loud?" she demanded.

"I'm so sorry princess, I haven't learned to cast my spells silently yet," Harry quipped back. "Relashio." The spell cut off the wand hand of one of the unfortunate men and left him with a deep laceration in his side, effectively taking him out of the fight. The teen followed that with the Stunning Spell he had read about but had yet to use, resulting in one of the men being simply dazed. While the spell didn't work exactly as it should have, it did give Harry the opportunity to follow up with yet another spell that incapacitated the man.

For her part Fleur had managed to eliminate two of her opponents as well, causing the remaining two men to pause. It was unthinkable to them but these two teens had taken out over half of them without suffering any kind of injuries. Everything they had thrown at them had either missed or, in Fleur's case, dissipated against her Shield. It was humiliating to do so but they knew that retreat was the best option. Almost in tandem they turned on the spot and Disapparated, leaving their four fallen comrades.

"I did not expect you to be so skilled," Fleur admitted, turning to Harry. "I thought for sure I would 'ave to rescue you."

"I think they were stupid and surprised more than I was skilled," Harry admitted, looking at the four unconscious men before facing Fleur. The blonde shook her head.

"Non, eet was impressive. I'm Fleur Delacour by the way."

"Harry Potter," Harry responded, taking her outstretched hand. As predicted Fleur's eyes immediately went to Harry's forehead, though his infamous scar was currently covered by his hair. She wasn't sure she believed him but before she could voice her disbelief they both heard the sound of twigs snapping nearby. They turned and raised their wands at the noise and saw a man in a long black cloak. Unlike the others he wasn't wearing a mask and he seemed to observe everything with disinterest. Instead of pointing his wand at them he pointed it at the sky.

"Morsmordre," he called out. A skull with a snake coming out of its mouth suddenly appeared in the clouds, the snake slithering out of the skull. The man looked at Harry and Fleur, though it was too dark for either of them to see much of his face, and Disapparated. Harry heard a soft pop after the man disappeared and, following his instincts, dropped to the ground, pulling Fleur with him.

"Get down!" His words proved prophetic as no less than a dozen Stunning Spells were suddenly fired off above them, dissipating against trees and flying off into the night.

"They didn't do it!" a voice Harry recognized as Mr. Weasley's exclaimed. Harry cautiously made his way back to his feet, helping Fleur up as well, before he was almost knocked over again by Hermione's hug. He looked at Fleur in almost desperation (making the older girl lightly giggle) and she noticed that his hair was no longer covering his forehead, showing everyone his trademark scar.

"One of them had to conjure it," an older man declared as he advanced on them with his wand drawn. Harry and Fleur, both still on an adrenaline rush, tightened their grip on their own wand but were smart enough not to raise them.

"They're just kids Crouch," Sirius said gruffly as he walked up to Harry too. Crouch grunted and continued to point his wand at them.

"We fought them," Harry announced coldly, "or do you not pay attention to what's around you?" He gestured at the men still on the ground, causing the adults to look at the fallen men. "What is that anyway?"

"It's the Dark Mark Harry," Sirius responded. "That's Voldemort's mark."

"So zese men were his followers?" Fleur questioned.

"That's right, Death Eaters." Sirius didn't know this girl but she was with Harry so he quickly decided she couldn't be that bad. Harry and Fleur looked at each other, both silently thankful that they ran into each other. A soft pop alerted them to the presence of someone new.

"Zere you are Fleur," her father said as he walked up to her. "I was worried. What 'appened?"

"I believe that's a question for both her and Harry Monsieur Delacour," Sirius answered, apparently knowing the man. Together and separately Fleur and Harry gave their accounts of what happened, starting with their own separate flight from the Death Eaters and ending with the Ministry officials attempting to Stun them. Hermione's grip on Harry's arm tightened as he spoke and Ron's face went became more ashen with every word. He looked ashamed that he hadn't been there, though there was really no way for him to have been.

"So eez zis 'ow ze Ministry does zings 'ere?" Monsieur Delacour questioned, looking directly at Crouch. "My daughter and zis young man fought bravely and you accuse zem of being ze ones 'oo put zat in ze sky?"

"They're the only ones here!" Crouch insisted. "One of them had to do it."

"Did you not listen to their story Crouch?" Sirius demanded. "They both gave the same description of the man who did it." To the surprise of everyone there Harry suddenly burst into laughter.

"Are you really that stupid? Voldemort killed my parents when I was a year old and Fleur was still a toddler living in France when he was defeated. Who the hell would we learn that spell from? Or are you suggesting that we regularly associate with Death Eaters?" Sirius clapped Harry on the shoulder and gave him a mirthful smile. Hermione looked shocked that Harry would talk to a Ministry employee like that while Ron was clearly trying not to laugh. Fleur was watching the whole scene with interest, impressed at Harry's reasoning and willingness to stand up for both of them, especially against a government official.

"You can always bring us in for questioning but think how people would respond to that. How many people would demand that you find who really did this instead of wasting time and effort questioning two teens who obviously had nothing to do with it? Is that something you really wanna deal with?" Crouch glared at Harry but the teen could see the hesitation in his eye, the hesitation that told the Boy-Who-Lived that his words had the desired effect.

"Spread out and see what you can find," Crouch ordered the Ministry officials. "Maybe we'll get lucky and our man was sloppy. Make sure none of the others get away either. We might be able to learn something from them." Crouch looked at Harry and gave a slight jerk of his head. "Do you remember anything about this man Mr. Potter?" Harry shook his head but Fleur spoke up.

"Eet seemed like 'e flicked 'is tongue out, almost like a snake." The older man looked at her in disbelief, muttered a quick thanks, and rushed off, barking out orders even as he was leaving.

"I wonder what that was all about," Ron commented, causing Harry to shrug in indifference.

"So what's gonna happen now Sirius?"

"We'll be staying at the Burrow tonight and then going to my house tomorrow. What happened here wasn't an isolated incident. Something's coming and I'm gonna do what I can to help you prepare for it." Harry nodded, unsure how Sirius was going to accomplish that but he wasn't going to say that. He noticed Fleur walking up to him again out the corner of his eye and turned his head to face her.

"It was nice to meet you 'Arry Potter, though I wish eet 'ad been under better circumstances." She gave him a piece of parchment with her address on it. "Feel free to write to me anytime you want."

"Thanks Fleur. It was good to meet you too. I'm glad you were by my side tonight." Fleur smiled at him and walked back over to her father, leaving the teen with Hermione and Ron.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I want to quickly clarify four things. First of all the reason that Harry was able to resist the Veela is because of his strength of will. Just as he's able to throw off the Imperious Curse he's also able to resist other things that affect his mind, he just has more of a natural affinity for it in this story. Second the reason that Sirius knows Fleur's father will be revealed later so don't assume that I'm blowing it off. Third this will not have any Ron bashing in it. I understand why many people dislike Ron but I don't see him as a terrible friend who wants everything that Harry has. I see him as a teenager who grew up in a family that had nothing and felt that his parents overlooked him in favor of his siblings yet was also able to grow at his own pace and never had anything incredibly terrible happen to him, which makes him rather immature compared to Harry and Hermione. Harry has everything that Ron wants, fortune, fame, and notoriety, and in his immaturity often forgets why Harry has these things. I don't believe that Ron is a bed person or a terrible friend, I believe he's simply an immature teenager who too often doesn't look at what he doesn't really want to see. That being said, Ron will take several hits this story. I'm not going to let him simply act like he does in canon and have Harry simply forgive him. Finally, and most important, Fleur will not be the same as she in most other fanfiction stories. I'm going to attempt to keep her much closer to canon. Yes she has the allure that Veela are known for but it's not uncontrollable for her. She will attract the attention of many men but because of her natural beauty, not because of any outside influence. For those of you wondering this is why Ron didn't lose his mind when he saw her. She also won't be able to change like the full blooded Veela can. If this disappoints anyone then I truly apologize but I'm trying my best to not turn this into a cliche.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So I have a couple of reviews to answer. To Diana A, I'm not entirely sure if you're referring to a specific part in the first chapter when you say that Harry needs to be more consistent (since I think I did fairly good job of that) or if you mean it in general but he definitely won't be a whiny wimp. He will occasionally make decisions that he second guesses, like everyone does, but he won't cry about things. And as I said at the end of the first chapter, Ron will take a few hits. To the guest who wanted Gabrielle, Daphne, Astoria, and/or Luna in, I'm only assuming that you want a harem and I'll come right out and say that will not be happening. I don't do harem stories. Sorry.**

 **Since I forgot this in the first chapter, disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Hunger**

Harry sat between Hermione and Ron in the Great Hall as the last of the First Years were Sorted into their Houses. Admittedly the teen was barely paying attention but his focus snapped back into place as soon as he noticed Professor Dumbledore standing.

"I have an important announcement before we eat. This year Hogwarts will play host to the Triwizard Tournament." An outbreak of whispers arose, mostly from the older students. Ron muttered "Wicked!" while Hermione gave an audible gasp. Harry, who had no idea what the Triwizard Tournament was, just stayed silent in the hope that Dumbledore would explain further. "For those of you who don't know, the Triwizard Tournament is a competition that used to be held every four years between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy, and Durmstrang Institute. It was discontinued many years ago but we have seen fit to revive it with new restrictions. Traditionally the students from the other schools would arrive on October thirtieth, the day before the Tournament officially begins, but this year, in an effort to promote better relations between our schools, our guests will arrive at the end of the month. The Tournament will be further explained then. For now let's eat."

The food appeared on the table as Dumbledore sat back down but there wasn't the usual scrambling as everyone began discussing the tournament. Harry, who was most excited at the prospect of seeing Fleur again, was lost in thought and not participating in the conversation between Ron and Hermione. The two had kept in touch ever since the World Cup, frequently exchanging letters and there was even a brief Floo call, and she had hinted that she would be at Hogwarts soon. He assumed that her visit would only be for a few days or maybe a week at the most. There was absolutely no way he could have predicted that she would be there for the majority of the year, at least if he understood Dumbledore correctly.

While they had only known each other for about a month, Harry already considered Fleur a close friend. He felt that she understood him on a level that few others did and as a result, she knew things about him that not even Ron and Hermione did, including what he went through during his time with the the Dursleys. While Ron and Hermione were aware that he was locked in his room during the summer before his second year and that he blew up his aunt they had no idea that he spent the first ten years of his life living in a cupboard under the stairs or that he was constantly beat up by his cousin as he was growing up. Granted he hadn't come right out and told Fleur these things either but he had, in no uncertain terms, made it clear that his time at the Dursleys was less than pleasant and she was able to put the pieces together. From what he had told the French Witch she had been had to deduce that his time at the Dursleys was emotionally and borderline physically abusive. It angered her but there was little she could do about it and though Harry had no love lost for those people (Fleur refused to think of them as his family), it was clear he didn't hold a grudge against them either.

"You there Harry?" He suddenly heard Hermione's voice from a great distance away and brought himself back to reality with a shake of his head. "Are you alright?" She was watching him with a look of concern on her face. "You've been out of it for several minutes."

"I'm fine Hermione," he replied with a genuine smile. "I was just thinking about Fleur. She's become a really good friend and I hope I'll get to spend some time with her this year." The young teen nodded in understanding.

"Have you talked to her much?"

"Yeah we've been sending letters to each other since the World Cup. I've really enjoyed talking to her over the summer. Between that, living with and being trained by Sirius and Remus, and having you and Ron over it's been a good summer."

"Well it's about bloody time mate," Ron replied between bites. "So are either of you gonna try to enter the tournament?"

"I've had enough excitement over the past three years," Harry said while Hermione shrugged. "I'd like to have just one normal year."

"Well I'm gonna enter. I've heard there's usually a cash prize and I'd love to win it. The chance to represent Hogwarts sounds pretty nice too."

"You know there's gonna be a lotta people who enter into this tournament right Ron?" Hermione questioned, looking at her friend with sympathy. "I don't wanna sound negative but don't be surprised if someone else is chosen." Ron made a noncommittal noise and continued eating, not appearing to be at all concerned. "I'm concerned with what's gonna be in the tournament. According to what I've read there's always three tasks and all of them are incredibly dangerous. There's been multiple deaths, which is the reason the tournament was stopped in the first place. Hopefully they'll make it safer now but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk." Hermione realized that Ron was paying attention to his food and Harry was lost in thought again, causing her to huff and return to her own food.

The events that happened at the Quidditch World Cup seemed to have been driven from everyone's mind with the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament but Harry couldn't help but feel that they were somehow connected. It couldn't have been a coincidence that the Death Eaters joined together for the first time in nearly thirteen years the same year that a long dormant tournament was revived. Despite what he told Ron, the Boy-Who-Lived had a feeling in his gut that this year was going to be the same as his first three, if not even more hectic. It was an overwhelming thought and Harry found himself even more thankful for Sirius and Remus pushing him over the summer.

"You never did say what you were taught over the summer Harry," Hermione suddenly asked, almost as if she could read his thoughts. "Did they go through all of the fourth year books?"

"Not exactly. Sirius said that the teachers here would take care of that. Most of what I was taught isn't something that we'll learn in school. He and Remus taught he how to fight and we dabbled in the Dark Arts. They said that Voldemort and the Death Eaters aren't going to limit themselves and that we can't afford to either. I don't think that Mrs. Weasley was happy when she found out about it but at least she didn't say much, which honestly surprised me. I expected her to fight it more. They're helping me create my own spells and become an Animagus too, though it's gone really slow so far."

"Really? Becoming an Animagus is advanced and dangerous magic and creating your own spells can be disastrous. Are you sure about this Harry? We know that Sirius was reckless and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Yes I'm sure about this Hermione," Harry replied, irrationally angry with the brunette. He knew that she was merely concerned for him but he also knew that Sirius wouldn't do anything to endanger his life. "Sirius might have been reckless in his younger days but he's calmed down now. He didn't even wanna teach me to be an Animagus, I had to beg him to show me. He knows that creating new spells is dangerous but we're doing it as safely as we can. Everything in life carries some form of risk and it's up to each of us to decide if it's worth it."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it, sensing that doing so would cause an argument and she really didn't want to do anything to cause animosity between her and Harry. Harry was the one person she could always count on and she didn't want to put that in jeopardy. Besides she reasoned that Harry knew his limitations and even he wouldn't continue trying to learn something that was too dangerous or beyond his skill. She also had to grudgingly admit that Remus all but told them that Sirius started working on becoming an Amimagus in his second year at Hogwarts and it only took him three years to learn. There was honestly no one better to teach him.

"Did Sirius ever tell you how he knows Fleur's dad?" she asked instead, changing the subject to a safer one.

"It wasn't nearly as exciting as I thought it'd be," Harry responded, irritation still lacing his voice. "Apparently Monsieur Delacour is one of the few who understood the threat it could pose to the rest of Europe is Voldemort took over England. He was instrumental in getting the French Ministry to help the Order. They were mostly silent allies, primarily dealing in espionage according to Sirius, but they were a great help." The rest of the evening was spent discussing either the World Cup or the Triwizard Tournament and the possible connection between them. When Harry finally laid down in his bed that night he was content with the knowledge that in just a few weeks he would be reunited with his newest friend.

* * *

Their first week of classes proved to be rather uneventful until Potions class at the end of the week. Harry had been learning Occlumency from Dumbledore ever since he told the headmaster about his dream and as a result he now found it much easier to ignore Professor Snape. The older man seemed to be oddly infuriated by Harry's new attitude and spent the entirety of the class attempting to provoke him. When nothing worked he resorted to purposefully dropping the vial of Harry's potion that he brought up to be graded. At first he sneered triumphantly, believing this would elicit the response he wanted, but he was shocked into silence when the teen shrugged and walked back to his cauldron. The professor watched as Harry filled two more vials with the potion, slipped one into his pocket, and brought the other one back up to his desk.

"Potions are not to be taken from the room Potter," he said with contempt.

"I know professor but I feel that this is necessary. Now when you tell Professor McGonagall or the headmaster that I didn't do my work I have proof that I did." Snape looked at Harry with rage in his eyes and had to grudgingly admit that he had been backed into a corner. With no other alternative, he graded the potion in front of him (giving the teen a fair score no less) and ordered him to finish up and leave.

The rest of September passed surprisingly uneventful for Harry, or at least as uneventful as could be considered for him. He had a few expected encounters with Malfoy and Snape had taken to insulting and belittling Hermione, Ron, and Neville but neither situation was unusual for the teen. After training with Sirius and Remus for the last month of the summer, Malfoy was barely even an annoyance to him and a quick visit with Professor Dumbledore and his Head of House helped defuse the situation with Snape. He was still insufferable of course but at least after that he spread his wrath amongst the Gryffindors instead of focusing on just a few.

Perhaps the most unusual aspect was that Harry was actually doing his homework on time and studying, though admittedly it was mostly an attempt to make the time go by faster until he could see Fleur again. Whatever his reason for doing it, the additional work was certainly paying off and he was noticeably improving in all his classes. Hermione was happy about the change while Ron humorously lamented that he was the only one of the three who still knew how to enjoy life. Nevertheless the redhead now found himself studying just as much as his two best friends (though he insisted it was because there was nothing else for him to do) but he still didn't put forth as much effort as they did. This caused Harry and Hermione to laugh, knowing that no matter how much things changed there would always be something that stayed the same.

After what felt like an eternity the month was finally drawing to a close, which meant that the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be there soon. Harry couldn't wait to see Fleur again and his enthusiasm was both amusing and annoying to his friends. They had exchanged a few more letters since Harry had returned to Hogwarts and it was enough to confirm that she would indeed be there for most of the school year. The only thing that hampered his mood was that he wasn't sure how Hermione and Ron would react to her presence. They were pleasant enough to her in the aftermath of the Quidditch World Cup but now she would be in a position where she could possibly be competing for his time and attention. He knew that Ron had a jealous streak and Hermione had always been by his side since they became friends so it would be interesting to see how everything played out.

Honestly Harry didn't want to have to choose between his new friend and his old friends and would love nothing more than for the three of them to get along. With his luck though he wasn't counting on things to go that smoothly and was already preparing for the worst. He wasn't going to abandon any of them but neither was he going to let anyone push him or influence him into a direction he didn't want to go. He was sure that Fleur would be mature enough to let him make his own decisions without giving him grief or making him feel guilty but Ron and Hermione were another story. While Hermione was mature enough to let him decide what to do, she had the tendency to gently try to influence him whenever she felt that he was making the wrong decision. Ron was much less subtle and could be downright nasty when Harry was doing something the redhead didn't agree with.

Harry was noticeably more anxious than usual the day that Fleur was scheduled to arrive to the point that even some of the professors noticed. Professor McGonagall even asked him to stay after class and expressed her worry over him, which shocked the young wizard. He managed to convince her that he was just impatient and dashed out of the classroom as soon as he could, determined to be one of the first to greet their guests. He all but ran back to Gryffindor Tower, dropped his books off, quickly changed, and rushed outside where the other students were already starting to assemble. Ron and Hermione joined him shortly after, the humorous smiles on their faces giving him hope that they might all be able to get along after all.

There was a lot of speculation amongst the students as to how the schools would arrive. The normal methods of arrival-brooms, Apparation, the Knight Bus, and Portkeys-were obviously out of the question and no one could seem to agree on an entrance that was spectacular enough. The rumbling of chatter ceased as everyone suddenly noticed a disturbance on the surface of the lake and they all waited on baited breath to see what was going to happen. Whatever anyone expected certainly wasn't what actually happened. The disturbance grew larger and larger until finally a single wooden beam rose from the water. It floated there for a few seconds before rising even further to reveal that it was attached to an enormous ship.

Harry, whose excitement had begun to peak when he first saw the beam, felt himself start to deflate at the sight of the ship. His gut told him that this was the Durmstrang students instead of Beauxbatons as he had hoped. While it was impressive, it didn't seem regal enough for what little he knew of the French school. The ship was silent for several long minutes until a gangplank was finally lowered to the ground and the students began filing out. There was the usual reaction from everyone when meeting someone new (excitement mixed with apprehension) but no one said much of anything until one particular person was noticed.

"Blimey that's Viktor Krum!" someone exclaimed. An excited outbreak of chattering instantly started up and everyone craned their necks to get a better look at the Quidditch star.

"I didn't even know he was still in school!" Ron said excitedly. "Do you think he'll sign my robes?" Harry gave a noncommittal noise of agreement but honestly wasn't paying much attention to his friend. While the arrival of a famous Quidditch star was indeed exciting, it did little to hold his interest at the moment. He began to ponder how the Beauxbatons students would arrive again when he heard someone point out something in the sky. Without looking up Harry knew that this was the moment he had been waiting for, the moment when Fleur would finally arrive. He raised his head and saw a magnificent carriage being pulled by six flying horses. It would have almost been akin to a scene out of a fairy tell were it not for the fact that the horses were huge.

The students watched in wonder (Krum and the other Durmstrang students had already entered the castle) as the horses landed gracefully in front of them and out of the carriage walked the biggest woman any of them had ever seen. She began talking to Dumbledore in a heavy French accent while her students filed out behind her. Fleur was one of the last to walk out (Harry noticed that the other students seemed to look to her for leadership) and the teen felt himself releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He pushed through the other students to the front of the crowd and impatiently waited for Fleur to notice him with a face-splitting smile. It was obvious that she was searching for him too and in just a few seconds she noticed him. She returned his smile and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him as he pulled her into an emotional hug.

"I 'ave really missed you 'Arry," she greeted him, not appearing to want to release him any time soon. "'Ow 'ave you been?"

"Better now," Harry responded just loud enough for her to hear. "I was starting to think that the month was never going to end."

"Fleur?" a Beauxbatons student asked, obviously confused by her actions. "Are we not supposed to go inside with Madame Maxine?"

"Oui, you go on," Fleur answered him, never moving from her spot. "Tell Madame Maxine zat I will come in with 'Arry and ze other 'Ogwarts students." The boy nodded and followed the rest of his schoolmates inside, leaving Fleur with Harry and the other students who were still out there. The two finally broke apart and walked inside with everyone else, talking the entire time until Fleur had to reluctantly go to the Ravenclaw table with the other Beauxbatons students.

"Welcome one and all," Dumbledore began as soon as everyone had been seated. "I see that some of you have already met some of our guests," his twinkling eyes met both Harry's and Fleur's, causing the two teens to blush, "but for the rest of you I would like to introduce the two prestigious schools of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons." The headmaster led the entire hall in a round of rousing applause. "I know you will all make them feel welcome.

"Now before we eat I know that all of you are wondering about the Triwizard Tournament. On October thirty-first three students will be selected to represent their respective school. An impartial judge, who will be revealed on October thirtieth, will choose the Champions. Only those who are of age will be allowed to submit their name for consideration." An anticipated outbreak of clearly unhappy protests arose at Dumbledore's comment and he waited patiently for everyone to quiet down. "There will be more time for that later however. For now let us enjoy the feast."

Their positioning at their respective tables and the noise in the Great Hall made conversation between Harry and Fleur awkward and virtually impossible and they were barely able to exchange a few words before Fleur had to go back to the carriage. All in all it was a bittersweet reunion but they both felt better knowing that they had eight months to make up for it.

* * *

Fleur turned her alarm clock off, sat up and stretched, then slowly made her way out of bed to prepare for her day. Since it was Saturday and there were no classes she planned to spend the day exploring the castle. She wanted to after the feast the previous night, hopefully with Harry and his two friends as guides, but unfortunately Madame Maxine had ushered them all back to the carriage as soon as desert was over. She couldn't blame the woman but it was definitely a disappointment. Now she would most likely have to go on her own since she didn't know any of the other Hogwarts students and none of her classmates were as eager to see the magnificent castle as she was.

After a light breakfast she donned her cloak and set off to look through the enormous structure. Everything about it amazed her, from the talking portraits (she had never seen so many in one place) to the moving staircases. She was completely lost in her explorations, not even realizing that it was after lunch, until she ran into a certain blonde that she remembered all too well who brought her elated mood crashing down.

"Bonjour mademoiselle," Malfoy greeted her with a bow, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him as usual. "A lady as gorgeous as you shouldn't be wandering the castle alone. Allow me to be your guide."

"And why would I want to do that?" Fleur asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The contempt in her voice was not lost on the young Slytherin and a scowl crossed his face. He quickly hid it though and pressed on.

"Because I am Draco Malfoy, part of one the oldest pureblood lines in Britain and directly related to the famous and powerful Black line." A smirk played at the corners of his mouth when he finished speaking, obviously proud of his blood status and sure that he had impressed her.

"Do you zink zat 'olds any meaning to me leetle boy?" Fleur responded, mirth dancing in her eyes at the ridiculousness of his statement. Malfoy's face went red with anger and he reached for his wand but an unexpected voice made him pause.

"Is that any way to treat our guests Draco?" Harry asked as he, Ron, and Hermione walked up. Malfoy blanched at Harry's presence (his past few altercations with the Boy-Who-Lived had ended in embarrassment for him) while Fleur looked both relieved and for some reason irritated at the interruption. The young Slytherin realized the odds were definitely stacked against him and opted to retreat, though just like at the Quidditch World Cup he couldn't resist having the last word.

"You'll pay for this Potter, you and your little whore." Anger flashed across Harry's face and he went for his wand. Though Hermione, who knew him well enough to know how the insult would affect him, stopped him, Malfoy understood that he had crossed a major line and rushed away with Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

"I did not need you to defend me 'Arry," Fleur told him when the four were alone. "I am perfectly capable of fighting my own battles."

"Of course you are," Harry responded with a smile, all the anger leaving his face. "I wasn't trying to rescue you I just wanted them to know that you're not alone. Draco Malfoy is the type to attack you when your back's turned if you've humiliated him. I wanted to make sure he knows that I don't appreciate him doing anything like that to my friends."

"And why would he pay that much attention to you?"

"Ever since we've come back from the summer he's tried to challenge me several times and he's always been beaten. The last several times I went even further and completely embarrassed him." The smirk on Harry's face and snorts of amusement from Ron and Hermione made Fleur smile as well. "If there's one thing Malfoy can't stand its humiliation." Harry suddenly became very serious and all trace of mirth left his voice. "Trust me Fleur I know better than anyone else here at Hogwarts that you don't need anyone to rescue you." There was a moment of silence and Hermione took the opportunity to step forward.

"I know we saw we each other before but we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Hermione Granger." She pulled Ron up beside her and gave the redhead a pointed look.

"Ron Weasley," he told her, his face slightly red and not meeting her eyes.

"Fleur Delacour," Fleur responded, shaking Hermione's hand and smiling at Ron, who turned redder and looked away entirely. Normally Fleur would be put off by his behavior but she knew that he was most likely not used to talking to an older woman and at least he wasn't stumbling over his words. "It iz a pleazure to meet you. 'Arry 'as mentioned you both many times. I am glad to meet 'is two best friends." Off to the side, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. While it was still too early to tell, this was a good sign that his friends would get along. "Speaking of ze World Cup, I know you 'ave been training since zen 'Arry and I would love to find out 'ow much better you are."

"Is that a challenge Ms. Delacour?" the young wizard asked with a smile.

"Oui Monsieur Potter," Fleur responded, a smile adorning her features. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking at him with smug expressions.

"I think we can make that happen."


	3. update

I hate when people do this but it's been nearly two years since I last posted anything and I still get emails that someone has favorited one of my stories so I think you all deserve an update. None of my stories have been abandoned nor will they ever will be, I promise you that. I started them all with the intention of finishing them and I'm going to. Unfortunately things haven't gone as well as I had hoped.

Ever since late 2016 I've been struggling financially and over the past year and a half I've been working 72-84 hours a week just to make ends meet, leaving me with very little free time. I'm so stressed that I don't sleep well and the other night I thought I was having a heart attack, or maybe I just hoped I was. Between that and having basically no friends outside of work I find myself yet again battling depression and a desire for my life to end, making it difficult for me to concentrate. On the rare occasion that I find myself both with some spare time and the ability to focus I usually tend to work on my original stories as opposed to my fanfiction. I don't like much about myself and there's not much about me that I'm proud of but I'm a damn good writer and I'm very proud of that. I truly believe that I can be a published author one day and I'm bound and determined to make that happen.

I realize that I've gotten off point a little so to sum everything up, yes I'm surprisingly still alive and no my stories haven't been abandoned. Once things calm down for me and I have the time I will return to regular updates for these stories and until then I hope that you all continue to enjoy them and I promise I'll try to update more than once every couple of years.


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